The Journey of a Female Miner

Pit Stop No3: the Lamaque Mine

The underground Lamaque gold mine is located in the famous region of Val d’Or or Valley of Gold. This region was established in 1934 fueled by the discovery of massive copper and gold ore bodies. The great gold rush triggered a mining boom throughout the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

The Lamaque mine started production in 1935 and 50 years later it was exhausted and shut down. Today, the Mine and the Bourlamaque historic mining village of Val d’Or are part of “The city of Gold” museum. This Museum offers visits of the mining site and invites you to become a miner for a day. Guests experience an underground descent to a depth of 90 meters. Underground, the guide, an old miner, explains the different methods of gold extraction and at the surface, visitors can see an ore transformation process within the laboratory and visit the pithead frame, hoist room and dryer section.

Welcome to La Cite de l’Or

Guide explaining to visitors the history of Val d’Or

Visitors in the underground galleries of the mine

The guide is showing that when the mine was still active, the galleries were created by drilling and blasting